Assignment 13A: Reading Reflection No. 1

Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life

1) You read about an entrepreneur:

• What surprised you the most?

I have always been into fashion and know just a little bit of background about most well known designers; however, I have never really dived deep into their lives. I would say the one thing that surprised me the most is that at the end of her life she didn't have many friends/family.  Although she had many lovers, she never married. You would think someone of such influence would have it all: husband, wealth, family and friends. From my reading, I realized she was just too independent and stubborn. She once said "I never want to weigh more heavily on a man than a bird."

• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

The one trend I saw among the book is that she never cared what society thought of her. She was a nonconformist and when she realized there was issues, she wanted to do something about it. Chanel believed most in comfort and expressed that through many of her designs. Back then, that was a foreign concept for a women to dress more like a man but she did not care. Chanel introduced pants for women as she experienced and saw that wearing dresses to do various activities was not practical. She also invented a pant suit for women which was outrageous at the time. She knew what she wanted to accomplish and she did it. Her drive without a care of what people think is what I admire about her the most.

• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

Her hard work and drive is what got her to create her own empire; however, that also may have been her greatest weakness. I noticed in the book that her drive almost consumed her and blocked her out from creating meaningful relationships. At times, she could be very bitter and expressed her opinion of other designers in a condescending way. I do not believe in tearing others down, especially when they have their own style and are simply just expressing their creativity just as she does. All designers should empower each other.

• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

Coco Chanel's life was heavily known as being one of overcoming adversity. Her family was dirt poor. Her mother died. Her father sent her to an orphanage. There, and soon after, it was hard for her to make a living for herself. She found out that the only way to achieve independence is to have money for herself. She also realized that it was a world ruled by men. Chanel used that to her advantage and attached herself to very well known and wealthy men who helped her start her business. From there, she became a businesswomen and established herself as an independent and wealthy women. 

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

I noticed that Chanel exhibited quite a few competencies that stood out to me. She was a forward thinker. She anticipated the struggles that women go through. Chanel created a very progressive style which was eventually known as the "modern women". What I also noticed while reading this book is that she was very confident in herself and her mission. She created looks that no one thought would ever come into style but she was so confident that it created a movement.

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

Overall, I thought it was a very difficult read. I am not much of a history person and this book included A LOT of background and history. I would say I tried to focus on Coco Chanel more than the history, places and background as that all got very confusing.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

The first question I would ask is "How did you deal with the criticism?". I think now, especially in the world of social media, it is hard to block out all the hate and not let it get to you. I am definitely my own worst critique so I feel like I would buy into everyone's opinions and believe them for myself, which would just tear me down. I want to know how she seemingly did not care and how she became so confident in her designs.

The second question I would ask is "What do you deem most important in her life". I know she had many lovers/relationships but she never married and never had children. Family is what is most important in my life so I wonder who/what she cherish's the most.

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

I think her opinion of hard work is just fascinating. She was so driven but almost to the point where she put her work before relationships. I do not share that opinion as I think a happy and healthy life includes meaningful relationships where you can always rely on them for anything and everything.